Good News!
Posted on 08/20/2017 8:52:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The massive rise of Christianity in Iran, especially among youths, continues despite the Islamic government's efforts to suppress the faith. Even Islamic leaders admitted that more and more young people are choosing to follow Christ.
According to Mohabat News, which reports on the persecution and state of Christianity in Iran, the "exponential rate" of Christian growth has been a factor for the last couple of decades.
Now even leading Islamic seminary officials, such as Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi, have pointed to "accurate reports indicating that the youth are becoming Christians in Qom and attending house churches."
Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has also been raising alarm over the number of Iranian youths becoming Christians, and has blamed "foreign influence" for the conversions.
Other ayatollahs, such as Wahid Khorasani, have slammed government officials "for their negligence in preparing counteracting strategies to stop the spread of Christianity."
Mohabat News pointed out that "this high rate of conversion of Iranian youth to Christianity is in spite of rigorous Islamic indoctrination of the youth in their families and educational system."
"The Islamic government of Iran dedicates massive budgets to the support of Islamic organizations that promote Islam among the youth within and without Iran's borders. Such efforts to attract Iranian youth is much more noticeable in Islamic cities such as Mashhad and Qom," it added.
"Regardless of such efforts, Iranian youth seem to become increasingly distant from Islam, which is a cause of great concern for the Iranian Islamic government."
The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said in a report in July that Iranian authorities are increasingly cracking down on Christian converts in the country, arresting and imprisoning believers in their attempts to suppress Christianity.
CHRI noted in its report that since June 2017, at least 11 Christian converts and the former leader of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church in Iran have been issued long prison sentences by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
"Christians are recognized as an official religious minority in Iran's Constitution, but the state continues to persecute members of the faith, especially converts," said CHRI's executive director, Hadi Ghaemi.
"The state must respect its own laws and international obligations and allow Christians and all religious minorities full freedom of worship."
The Iranian government has reportedly been spending millions of dollars for Islamic propaganda across the country, alongside its campaign to crack down on new Christian converts, and its closure of churches in Tehran and elsewhere.
The strategies have been ineffective, however, with mission group Elam Ministries separately estimating that there are as many as 360,000 believers in Iran today – up from only 500 in 1979.
"Church leaders believe that millions can be added to the church in the next few years — such is the spiritual hunger that exists and the disillusionment with the Islamic regime," Elam Ministries said earlier this year.
"If we remain faithful to our calling, our conviction is that it is possible to see the nation transformed within our lifetime. Because Iran is a strategic gateway nation, the growing church in Iran will impact Muslim nations across the Islamic world."
Amen!
Praise be to God, forever.
Good News!
How great is our God!
God’s light still shines through!
oh my, how will they ever control them if they leave the cult?
Oh hum, not surprised, they are more educated than most of the Muslim world. The Muslims I know make better Christians than Christians and they are Iranian. (And they like Chinese food, with pork and have ONE wife.) Go figure. There is also a large group of Non Believers in Iran. Too bad they all got screwed with the 79’ revolution.
When I first heard a Christian brother pray not to destroy Muslims but to have them come to Jesus, the political cynic in me doubted, but the Holy Spirit in me reminded me that with God, all things are possible.
Keep praying for muslims and all non-believers to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior!
Amen!
For me, the article link doesn’t go to Christian Post. If you also find this to be the case, perhaps you could click on “Report Abuse” (haha, I know, but it’s the fastest way to reach the Admin Moderator) and provide the correct URL link. Thanks
nice post, by the way (thumbs up)
Outside of prayer and supporting specific ministries, one has to be careful about discussing religion with Muslims. I have a good friend who is originally from Pakistan and a devout Muslim. Years ago I wanted to give him a Bible in Urdu so he could read the original versions of events mentioned in the Koran (which form at least part of the Muslim claim to be a continuation of the earlier Jewish and Christian “Abrahamic tradition”). There was no attempt to convert but only to clarify.
I sent away to the American Bible Society in NYC to obtain a Bible in Urdu. It duly arrived and I respectfully gave it to my friend. He appreciated the gesture but said it was completely useless to him as the Urdu had been rendered phonetically using the English alphabet. Urdu in Pakistan (and I assume elsewhere) is rendered in ARABIC script. Sometimes even the experts can get it wrong.
With respect to the Iranians, we must first pray to God that his word will find success but we must also accept that it faces organized, formidable and violent opposition in Muslim countries and success is sometimes measured in small steps.
May the Holy Spirit guide the missionaries that labor in these dangerous fields and the persons who respond to God’s Word and call.
Praise God ! for these brave souls !
How many ‘Christian’ Westerners would face imprisonment, torture and even death ?
But the Almighty Holy Spirit will always and in the end defeat Allah and Islam.
working link to the article.
Hank you Jimmy Carter, on the last. He doesn’t get enough credit for the rise of Islamic Jihadism we are seeing.
Killing and imprisoning Christian converts has always been a very successful strategy for dealing with the Holy Spirit moving among the people.
Just ask the Romans how that worked out for them?
My Christian brothers and sisters in Iran, I am praying for you and stand with you.
God will not be stopped. He loves His creation.
Best news, Christ has already won.
Shot for joy to God all the earth, praise His name, make His praise glorious!
I’ve often thought that the Iranians make a natural ally in that part of the ME. Instead, Jimmy Carter threw them under the bus and we support the Wahabbi regime in Saudi Arabia. Cruel irony there.
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